Review: The Akhenaten Adventure (Children of the Lamp, Book 1)
The unnecessary prominence given to smoking is surprising, as is the rather positive attitude toward it taken by the author. The concept of magic given here, as a carefully maintained balance of luck in the world, could be interesting to discuss, especially in comparison to other magical systems, such as those in Bartimaeus, Harry Potter, and So You Want to Be a Wizard.
What Parents Should Know
The unnecessary prominence given to smoking is surprising,
as is the rather positive attitude toward it taken by the
author. The concept of magic given here, as a carefully
maintained balance of luck in the world, could be interesting
to discuss, especially in comparison to other magical systems,
such as those in
Bartimaeus,
Harry Potter, and
So You Want to Be a Wizard.
Common Sense Media Review
Very much a mixed bag. On the plus side, it's an original
idea, well written, the descriptions are vivid, and fantasy
fans will love the wealth of detail and history behind this
particular view of the magical world. On the minus side,
there's not much action, lots of exposition, and the child
heroes never rise off the page to become real people in the
reader's mind. Kids who love arcana, exotic settings, and
children with secret magic powers will revel in the fascinating
details. Those looking for adventure will not find much in the
first half of the book to keep them reading.
This is Philip Kerr's first book for children, though he has written several for adults. Like many other adult novelists trying to make the transition, he will need to learn that different rules apply -- the pacing is different, and kids prefer warm passion to cool detachment. There's a lot of potential here for future books in the series, but to be really successful he will need to bring John and Philippa to life.
From the Book:
"Clever people wish for something intangible like talent
or wisdom," said Nimrod. "A few people used to wish they were
good writers. Today, however, most people go for the cash or
being a movie star. Very boring. But what can you do? A wish is
a wish."
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